Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Janney Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Janney Capital Management trimmed its Microsoft stake by 8.6% in Q3, selling 7,118 shares and leaving 75,698 shares valued at about $39.2 million (Microsoft is Janney’s third-largest holding).
• Microsoft beat quarterly estimates (EPS $4.14 vs. $3.86; revenue $81.27B) but shares fell >10% after earnings on concerns about Azure growth slowing and rising AI capex; analysts remain largely bullish with a consensus target near $597.73.
• There have been notable insider sales (including EVP Takeshi Numoto and CEO Judson Althoff) and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share (ex-dividend Feb. 19, yield ~0.9%).

Janney Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 75,698 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 7,118 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 2.4% of Janney Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Janney Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $39,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,658,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% in the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. grew its position in Microsoft by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,735,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and upgrades: several outlets and analysts have reiterated buy/overweight ratings and lofty price targets (median ~$600), and some investors and commentators view the pullback as an attractive entry after the drop. This supports the thesis that long‑term growth expectations remain intact. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgrades: bullish write‑ups argue MSFT is now the “cheapest” of the Magnificent Seven and recommend buying into the weakness — a narrative that can attract value buyers and stabilize price. Microsoft: It Becomes The Cheapest Stock In The Magnificent 7 (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Perplexity investment: coverage of Microsoft’s ~$750M deal/relationship with Perplexity highlights another pathway to monetize AI and expand Azure usage — a constructive catalyst if it boosts consumption without eroding margins. Following a $750 Million Deal with Perplexity, Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: How Microsoft is scaling AI: coverage explains the company’s long‑term AI strategy (Azure, OpenAI ties, product integrations). This is background positive for structural growth, but it doesn’t immediately resolve near‑term margin/capex concerns. How Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Is Scaling AI Into Its Next Growth Engine
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/put strategies: some commentators argue the share price and implied volatility make selling short‑dated puts an attractive income play — a sign traders see limited immediate downside or want to get long at discounts. This is a market‑structure reaction rather than company fundamentals. Shorting Microsoft Puts Looks Very Attractive To Value Investors In MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings fallout and AI capex worries: social and analyst reaction centers on a >10% selloff after the quarter — despite revenue/earnings beats — because Azure growth decelerated and management signaled moderated guidance while AI capex spiked (publicized multibillion AI spending). That mismatch (big spending vs. near‑term returns) is the main reason the stock is lower. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/product issues: reports of a resurfacing hibernation bug and unexpected Xbox permabans have created negative headlines this morning — small on their own but contributing to the negative sentiment mix. Microsoft Stock Falters on Hibernation Fix Flop, Unexpected Xbox Permaban
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales & heavy options volume: recent disclosures show substantial insider selling by senior executives and unusually high options activity — signals some stakeholders are taking chips off the table, which can weigh on sentiment even if strategic. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $640.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $620.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Microsoft from $655.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $597.73.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $423.37 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $474.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $499.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The business's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. This represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).

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